There are days when you can’t do without such an attribute as candles. It can be a romantic dinner, various holidays, Christmas fortune-telling and even such a banal event as a power outage. A small fire creates a unique atmosphere of home comfort, spiritual closeness, and a festive mood. However, careless handling can lead to the formation of complex stains on clothes, textiles and other interior items. Do not rush to put a cross on your favorite outfit, it is worth looking for ways to remove wax from clothes.

Initial actions

Try not to touch fresh drops with your hands or a paper towel. Allow time for the wax or paraffin to harden. If this is not done, the particles of the substance will penetrate into the structure of the fabric, and the stain will spread even more on the surface. Such pollution will have to be removed in a dry cleaner. In order for the candle material to solidify faster, it is advised to take the thing out into the cold or place it in the freezer. For large objects, an ice cube in a cellophane bag is suitable.

After a few minutes, the drops will become solid and can be removed by simply scraping them off the surface. This technique will help get rid of the main mass, but a trace may remain.

Now is the time to start looking for affordable methods to remove wax from clothes. The choice depends on the type of material that was exposed to the wax or paraffin candle.

How to remove wax from clothes

Removal methods

There are a number of actions that can give a positive result in solving the problem of how to remove a wax stain.

Hot processing

If you need to remove candle wax from natural fabrics (linen, cotton, calico), you can use an iron. You will also need napkins and a thin cotton fabric.

  1. In advance, consult the recommendations on the label for the ironing mode of the product.
  2. A napkin folded several times is placed below, the stain is covered with a cloth on top and ironing is started.
  3. The product should be placed in one layer to avoid the transfer of the stain to the other side.
  4. As napkins and outer fabric become dirty, they are replaced with new ones.

If the stain is small, then an ordinary spoon preheated in boiling water will replace the iron.

The second option involves soaking for a short time in very hot water. This method is suitable for things resistant to temperature and not afraid of shrinkage. As soon as wax or paraffin residues removed from the clothes appear on the surface, the product is removed and subjected to washing in the usual way.

Unfortunately, this way is not suitable to clean wax or paraffin containing dyes. The effect of temperature will cause the pigment to penetrate even more into the fibers of the fabric.

Means for dissolving fat

In some cases, when deciding to remove wax from clothes, a composition that copes well with greasy dirt will help. For example, dishwashing detergent.

  1. Apply a few drops of dishwashing liquid;
  2. try to wipe off the wax stain with light movements.

Some fabrics can change the brightness of the color, so first do a test on an inconspicuous area. This technique is suitable for fabrics that require special treatment. Sometimes a prolonged exposure of up to 12 hours is necessary. After this time, the product is washed. If the stain does not come off, then proceed to the following methods.

Solvent

Some organic solvents cope well with the problem. Before using them, they perform a check of the stability of the color of the material.

Treat the greasy spot with a swab soaked in ethyl alcohol , starting from the edges to the center.

Purified gasoline or turpentine is used in a similar way . The first substance will help to quickly get rid of traces of paraffin, as it easily dissolves it.

Chalk

Solving the task of how to remove paraffin from clothes, you can use the properties of chalk to absorb pollution.

  1. The stain is sprinkled with a crushed substance, covered with a napkin.
  2. The appropriate load is placed on top. For example: a pot of water.
  3. After an hour, the remains of chalk with paraffin are removed with a brush.

Talc, which also absorbs fat well, does the same.

Paraffin is easier to remove than wax.

Denim products

It is often necessary to solve the question of how to remove wax from denim.

Cold exposure is recommended at the first stage. After that, the solidified substance can be removed from the surface with a sharp object or crushed in the hands. Residues will be removed after ironing, and greasy solutions – after washing.

Fur, leather and suede products

Fur, leather and suede require special treatment.

  • In the case of fur, start with a 30-minute cold treatment. After that, the solid particles are easily separated from the villi. You can additionally shake the clothes or run your fingers in the direction of the pile.
  • To cope with the task of how to remove a greasy wax stain from clothes and skin, it will not take much effort. After solidification, the drops come off easily, as a rule, without leaving traces.
  • Suede items are covered with a napkin and briefly affected by a hot iron. If the stain is not completely removed, a three-component mixture will help: 35 ml of ammonia, 10 ml of ethyl alcohol, 50 ml of gasoline. A napkin soaked in the solution is applied to the contaminated area. After 1-2 minutes, remove the remains with a damp cloth.

How to remove wax from clothes

Colored wax and paraffin

In this case, you will have to try to prevent the penetration of the dye into the fibers of the material. An ally in solving the problem of how to remove a candle stain from clothes is the cold. After the freezing procedure, cleaning is carefully carried out with an appropriate object, but without excessive fanaticism, so as not to damage the fabric. The next step will require the use of a stain remover. If you are lucky, only a greasy mark may remain. Then, a label with recommendations from the manufacturer will tell you how to wash off the wax from clothes.

In case of contamination of especially delicate and expensive things, you should not experiment. The best way out will be to resort to the services of professionals. Sometimes they can’t even decide how to remove the wax from the fabric. Decorating techniques will help bring the product back to life. For example: embroidery, appliqué, decoration with beads or sequins.

How to remove wax from clothes: effective methods